Like the author of this article, I’m not really for testing on animals in the name of science. However, some new testing from Washington State University and the University of California-Davis has determined some pretty scary stuff about Bisphenol A (or BPA), by feeding primates with it. The study found that by giving doses of BPA that are the equivalent to what humans ingest, the reproductive systems of the primates were harmed, “causing chromosome damage, miscarriages, and birth defects,” according to the WSU website. Read More

Last month, Texas lost the Medicaid Women’s Health Program, which formerly served 130,000 low-income women by funding clinics that provided preventative care. (BUST blogged about this issue before the cut was made.) This care included cancer screenings and contraception--some of the affected clinics were Planned Parenthood-affiliated, but none of the federal money contributed to abortions. Texas Governor Rick Perry decided that no government funds should be allowed to go to Planned Parenthood anyway, and tried to have them excluded from the funding. Read More

Being a woman in the United States looking at the legislation and political climate regarding women’s bodies, it’s fairly easy to lose faith. It would be an understatement to say that the government’s relationship with women is not pretty.
It’s refreshing, then, to see people in positions of power who actually think of women as more than baby incubators. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated last week to the Commission of Population and Development that believes that’s it is the U.N. Read More

If there’s one thing I’ve ever learned from watching The Daily Show (or just being a decent human being with some form of common sense) is that you never, ever compare anything to Hitler, the Nazis, or the Holocaust. Ever. Unless you are, in fact, discussing Hitler, the Nazis, or the Holocaust, nothing should ever be compared to them. Never. It’s the number one way to lose credibility in a discussion, come off as an insensitive ass with little understanding of history, and look just plain nuts. Read More

According to the state of Arizona, it does.
The state passed a bill on Thursday called the “Women’s Health and Safety Act,” a name so hilariously (and infuriatingly) inaccurate that I can’t begin to wonder how they got away with it. Read More